Community

In 2015 Sandra Loder and her son Iain (then 13) set off on a riding adventure from Fort William to Inverness (approximately 75 miles), raising £2000 for The Sandpiper Trust in the process.

2020 impacted people in many different ways so as we reached the end of 2020 we asked readers to share their lockdown stories. Gemma, Kelly and Lucinda were kind enough to share their equine experiences with us.

Retired journalist Ingrid Sofrin describes how she got back into Western riding after spotting a horse for sale that looked very familiar.

Fireworks, love them or hate them, they now seem to be a year-round occurrence. Julie Doorne has been highlighting across social media, how this issue affects horse owners, and is campaigning for change to help keep us all safe.

The 2018 WEG was originally to have been held in Canada, but 18 months ago due to financial issues, Canada pulled out - leaving the future of the WEG hanging. The horse park in Tryon, North Carolina offered to take the event and overnight it changed countries and venues.

It seems like yesterday, the Western Equestrian Society (WES) were celebrating their very first year as the premier Western Riding Club here in the UK, and here they are, many years later, planning a huge celebration for the 34th anniversary. 

The TX Ranch is situated in 30,000 acres of wild scenery located on the Montana-Wyoming border. You are in the middle of nowhere; 4G forget it, Wifi dream on! Leave your phone and tablet at home, they will not be needed here.

As winter now approaches and our show season is over, it is time to appraise your efforts for this year. My suggestion is to take time out and write down all or any of the problems that you have had in low-scoring rounds so that you have a master plan to work on before next season. Remember, spring is only a few months away and if we take out Christmas, and bad weather days, we have probably got only six weeks left to get into shape for next year’s show season.

We are halfway through the show season and according to Facebook, most riders seem to be extremely happy with their efforts and achievements, so super, well done. For my part, it seems that lessons and clinics are moving to higher levels so these are exciting times. It is nice to know that the two youth riders that I have been coaching these last two years in conjunction with one mother and one uncle have performed well…..well enough to catch the eyes of other trainers and selectors, so there is still some life in this “old parrot” yet!

I think I can safely speak for Roger Wells too. In saying when we had the dream of making western riding a respected discipline (back circa 1983): a coloured magazine, major sponsors, instructors everywhere, shows and clinics the length and breadth of the countryside was in our dreams, and so it is amazing. I am so thrilled that this has now become a reality.